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Amanalar
Amanalar is a spacious region on Argus that was once covered in green, luscious plains, with multiple species of native animals having roamed its colourful, rolling hills. It was bordered by mountain ranges that surrounded the vast perimeter of it, having accounted for several dozens of kilometres. Forests hugged many of the bases of the bordering mountains. Over the span of approximately thirty-five thousand years, six major settlements were established in Amanalar, known as Amanare, Xzaarven, Doros, Faralihr, Umera and Korus. In addition, several minor, less significant settlements were also founded. They were each dotted throughout the region with sizeable spaces of land setting them apart. Many roads were present in-between the settlements, however, which allowed ease of travel to and from them. Today, Amanalar remains as a husk of its former self. Much like the majority of Argus, its soil is charred and hardened, rendering it infertile. Many of the mountain ranges that surround the region have formed a jagged aesthetic, and only the crystallized remains of trees are left of the forests at their bases. Several crevices have opened throughout the region, as well as pits that were once filled with fel magma, long since dried up from neglect. Only ruins remain of its settlements. Amanalar fell to the Burning Legion within the days leading up to the exodus of the draenei from Argus and was abandoned by the demons shortly after its ruination, leaving it to deteriorate within the harsh conditions of Argus for many thousands of years. Felstorms, among other disasters, have since grown common here, rendering it as highly inhospitable and near uninhabitable. History Foundation Approximately sixty thousand years ago, hundreds of eredar migrants from a faraway land on Argus, led by Duum'viaer with the assistance of his closest and most capable companions, Shi'var, Elosia, Fae'mahra, Nateema and Remomat, arrived in Amanalar and settled the region. They opened various farms and mines to sustain themselves, and shortly after, established the city of Amanare, which would forever serve as the capital of the region. In addition, several smaller settlements were constructed away from Amanare, and their numbers would only continue to increase throughout the approaching millennia. With the founding of Amanare, Duum'viaer created a governing organisation known as the Council of Amanalar, which was comprised of himself, Elosia, Fae'mahra, Nateema and Remomat. Although it was essentially the brainchild of Duum'viaer, he insisted to his fellow council members that they each rule over Amanalar as equals. Despite the general populace having held no power over who the Council was comprised of, most people admired and respected its members for having led them to Amanalar in the first place. The Council felt much the same towards their citizens and strived to forge them a prosperous life, working in their favour and considering their requests and opinions. Because of this, few found a reason to question their rule. Duum'viaer did not select the members of the Council of Amanalar due to friendship alone, however, as they each possessed specialties that could lend to the success of Amanalar. Duum'viaer, in particular, specialized in matters relating to security and defence, overseeing the creation of the region's military and peacekeeper force. Elosia was concerned with agriculture, seeing to the construction and maintenance of local farms and ensuring they could adequately feed the populace. She also aided in the discovery of the vast stores of groundwater in the region, which would forever serve as its primary source of drinking water. Nateema planned and supervised the majority of the mining operations in Amanalar, ensuring that there were enough resources to contribute to construction efforts throughout the region. She was the individual who decided upon the layout of many of its settlements and would come to invent some of their most iconic structures. Fae'mahra, on the other hand, was most passionate about society, culture and commerce. She made sure that the relatively mundane settlements designed by Nateema were enhanced by various eredar holidays, traditions, festivals and marketplaces, as well as monitoring the economic stability of the region. Meanwhile, Remomat was a competent artificer who specialised in technology. Among his most notable contributions was the introduction of argunite crystal defences to Amanalar, as well as power and lighting; it was because of him that the streets of Amanalar were not met with darkness at night. Although Amanare had humble beginnings as a simple rural village, within five thousand years, its size, scale and population increased exponentially, mainly in response to the attention the region was gaining from neighbouring areas - some of which was good, some of which was bad. During these five thousand years, rival eredar had occasionally attempted to seize Amanalar for themselves, though much to their misfortune, the military and peacekeeper force created by Duum'viaer, as well as the defence systems implemented by Remomat, were able to fend off against such invaders. Xzaarven Five thousand years after the founding of Amanalar, Amanare was approached by three mysterious mages from an unknown land. They introduced themselves as Galaviir, Phaerador and Tarvorus and requested an audience with the Council of Amanalar. Due to the population of Amanalar having lacked in such magically inclined individuals at the time, they addressed the mages with caution, and as a sign of peace, the trio lowered their staves. Though they were still wary of them, the Council, appreciative of their supposed desire for diplomacy, fulfilled their request and summoned them into their chambers. Within the council chambers, Galaviir, Phaerador and Tarvorus revealed to the Council of Amanalar that they were incredibly powerful and venerable mages who had been watching the progress of Amanalar from afar, claiming that they could see potential in the region. After pointing out its absence of magic, they offered to serve as teachers in the arcane to any who sought such lessons in Amanalar, as well as informing them that if they were to agree, they would also share their knowledge of advanced magical city defences with them. They would, however, do these things on one condition: that they would be allowed to establish a city of their own in Amanalar, which would serve as its primary place of magical learning. The Council of Amanalar, realising that Amanalar would benefit greatly from the widespread introduction of magic and the improvement of its cities' defences, shared their interest in the offers of the mages, though stated that they would accept only if their future city was to fall under the Council's jurisdiction. With little hesitation, the mages agreed to this and were declared high-ranking officials of the region. Shortly afterwards, they founded their city and named it Xzaarven. In addition to this, they formed the Triumvirate of Xzaarven and ruled the city under the authority of the Council of Amanalar. Over the following decades, Councillor Remomat upgraded the defence systems of Amanalar with the schematics provided by the Triumvirate of Xzaarven. The argunite defence crystals increased in size and power, and arcane shields that could encase entire settlements were introduced. It was at this point when Amanalar earned the respect of its neighbouring regions and invasions were made virtually non-existent. The Triumvirate did not intend on ceasing their contributions there, however: a century after the construction of Xzaarven, they created the Xzaarven Order of Arcane, which would, in time, be comprised of thousands of mages who lived in Xzaarven and were dedicated to the improvement of life in Amanalar. Under the banner of the Xzaarven Order of Arcane, a university was later constructed within the city. While the Triumvirate of Xzaarven acted as the headmasters of the school, they appointed some of their most proficient students as its teachers. After countless years of operation, the university would develop innumerable mages, not only from Amanalar itself but from across Argus as a whole. Though Xzaarven unsurprisingly housed a population that was smaller than Amanare's, there still, indeed, came to be thousands of mages who called it their home. The Council of Amanalar, impressed by the accomplishments of the Triumvirate of Xzaarven, ultimately came to rely on them as personal advisors, utilising their wisdom to improve their own leadership and decisions. Doros Roughly one thousand years after the founding of Xzaarven, many of the mines throughout Amanalar had begun to dry up and were unable to keep up with the development of civilization in the region. Just as the population was nearing a resource crisis, a miracle suddenly struck when an immense deposit of ore and crystals was located inside a large mountain on the border of Amanalar, known as Mount Dorolok. Within the weeks following this discovery, under the instruction of Councillor Nateema, Dorolok Mine was opened at the base of the mountain, and the settlement of Doros was established around its entrance to house the miners and their families. It was predicted that the materials inside Mount Dorolok would last the people of Amanalar for many millennia. It was at this point that the cities in the region were truly able to flourish, with Amanare drawing closer to the status of a thriving metropolis, and Xzaarven surpassing it in terms of splendour and aesthetic. Doros, too, would grow in size and status, earning its title as the third major settlement in Amanalar. Though it would remain rare for there to be residents in Doros who were of no relation to the local miners, there were certain exceptions, most commonly medics and merchants. In time, the privilege of working as a miner in Dorolok Mine arose as an aspiration in the minds of many eredar in Amanalar, as there was much fortune to be made there. Faralihr For four thousand years, Amanalar thrived with its three major settlements. In this time, however, the population only continued to increase, and Amanare could only stretch so far. During this period, the Council of Amanalar, encouraged by Councillor Fae'mahra, focussed particularly on forging relations with neighbouring regions, opening trade and tourism opportunities. This, in itself, posed another problem: there was little of interest for foreigners to see or do in Amanalar, aside from exploring the bustling streets of Amanare and witnessing the magical splendour of Xzaarven. In response to all of the arising issues, the Council, under the idea of Fae'mahra, founded the fourth major settlement of Amanalar, Faralihr, which would serve as a place of trade, wealth, art and culture. Faralihr was soon to house the grandest market in Amanalar, attracting locals and foreigners alike in search of sumptuous items. Many imports from across Argus could also be found in the market, adding variety to its selections. As foreseen, the Faralihr market improved trade relations with neighbouring regions, encouraging an increased exchange of goods and resources. It was not its market alone that made the city stand out amongst the others, however, as various festivals, celebrations, plays, parades and countless other community events were hosted there, earning Faralihr its title as the cultural mainstay of Amanalar. Farahlir, too, contained numerous residential districts, allowing hundreds of homes to appear throughout the city; it was quick to arise as Amanalar's second-largest residential settlement, bested only by Amanare, and essentially solved its over-population problems - at least for the immediate millennia. Most migrants who moved to Amanalar had also found themselves residing in Faralihr, due to its hospitality towards foreigners. In time, it was not only considered a cultural mainstay, though a melting pot, as well, as eredar from far and wide lived in harmony with one another; this added to the diversity of the festivals and performances in the city, which only proved to benefit it further. Amanalar Peacekeepers As the popularity of Amanalar continued to prosper, not all was quite so perfect: the increasing population had rendered the duties of the peacekeepers as progressively more difficult to fulfil, and diplomatic matters concerning foreign societies were beginning to bear down on the Council of Amanalar. If they were to maintain control of these affairs, they knew that they would need more than merely themselves and the common peacekeeper force. Three thousand years after the foundation of Faralihr, Councillor Duum'viaer convinced his fellow Council members of an idea: the creation of the Amanalar Peacekeepers, an elite task force comprised of the region's most talented warriors, led by Duum'viaer, which would act as the right hand of the Council. The Amanalar Peacekeepers, though significantly smaller in size than the regular peacekeeper force, were equipped with some of the finest armour, weaponry and training available on Argus; it was rumoured that a single of their members was capable of combating against ten ordinary peacekeepers, though, of course, this was never put into practice. Unlike the average peacekeeper, the Amanalar Peacekeepers were not confined to a specific settlement and were instead responsible for handling the security of Amanalar as a whole. They possessed the authority to roam the region as they pleased, though were forbidden to embark on missions beyond its borders unless authorised by the Council of Amanalar. Whenever a member of the Council of Amanalar left the safety of Amanalar to negotiate with foreign nations in person, the Amanalar Peacekeepers accompanied them, acting as their protectors; they also unintentionally served as an intimidation factor to the foreign diplomats, which happened to swing in the favour of the Council on more than one occasion. Inevitably, after years of successful service, the citizens of Amanalar came to fear and respect the Amanalar Peacekeepers. If one of their members was nearby, no man or woman would have dared to commit a crime. Following aeons of operation, they were essentially imbedded into Amanalarian folklore, which gave rise to exaggerated tales of their feats and accomplishments, and as a result, many children aspired to become one, though few were ever truly capable enough to do so. Umera Within two thousand years after the formation of the Amanalar Peacekeepers, Amanalar began to face yet another crisis: insufficient food supplies. As the population continued to increase, the meagre farms spread throughout the region could no longer sate the rising demand, and there was only so much that could be procured through trade with foreign nations. At first, the Council of Amanalar sat idly upon the issue, with Councillor Elosia laying pressure on farmers to increase their rate of production. Though this worked for a time, it did not last for long, and the farms were stretched to their limits. As the two thousand year mark struck, famine spread over Amanalar and sent it spiralling into a depression. Sickness and malnutrition hindered the lower class citizens, whilst the upper class were still able to sustain themselves. Hatred spread over the negligence over the Council of Amanalar, and riots were peering around the corner. Realising the mistake they had made, the Council, led by Elosia, ordered the construction of Amanalar's fifth major settlement, Umera, which would house the region's largest agricultural community. However, they recognized that it would take years to complete such a project, and thus reassured their citizens that a solution to the food shortage was underway, adding that it would first require their patience. Although this did not halt the unrest in Amanalar as a whole, it did manage to delay the approaching riots. Similar to Doros, the occupants of Umera would mostly be comprised of farmers and their families, though with slightly more relaxed restrictions, allowing a higher number of average citizens to declare the rural city as their home. Once its fields were plowed and crops flowed from them, Amanalar saw its food crisis slowly disappear. It was so successful in fact that, ultimately, the population was left with more food than they could consume, allowing the region the opportunity to trade the surplus supplies with their foreign allies, further increasing its wealth. Forevermore, Umera would be remembered as the settlement that saved Amanalar from certain disaster. Korus Amanalar had, at last, reached its prime as a self-sufficient and prospering society. Without a shortage of people, supplies and defences, there was little left that stood between Amanalar and a utopian status. Nineteen thousand years after the completion of Umera, there was one issue that remained - one that had lingered since the days of the first settlers in the region: residential capacity. The population of Amanalar had only continued to increase with no signs of stopping. Though overpopulation had yet to fully show its face, the Council of Amanalar, having learned from the food crisis long ago, acted on the affair without delay. Councillor Nateema set forth a strategy to create several residential cities throughout Amanalar that were designed to house as many people as possible. With this, the city of Korus was constructed as the sixth major settlement of Amanalar and the first of other such cities that were planned to be built in the future. Little did the people of Amanalar know, however, that chaos was swiftly approaching Argus, and in consequence of this, Korus would soon prove to be the last of the region's settlements. Arrival of the Burning Legion One thousand years following the construction of Korus, Sargeras approached the Triumvirate in Mac'Aree with promises of untold power in exchange for the service and loyalty of the eredar in his army, the Burning Legion. While Archimonde and Kil'jaeden wholeheartedly accepted, Velen declined after seeing visions of a dark future where his people are transformed into demons. While he rushed to find a solution, propaganda filled the streets of Amanalar’s settlements, informing the populace of Sargeras' offer in an attempt to lure them into the ranks of the Legion. However, the people of Amanalar were renowned for their loyalty to their homeland, with many of them never having ventured beyond its borders. Most of them were simple folk who possessed no lust for power, and because of these factors, the majority of the population conformed against Sargeras, refusing to abandon their homeland to the Burning Legion. The viewpoint of the Council of Amanalar was much the same, though unbeknownst to them, the Triumvirate of Xzaarven were allured by the offers of Sargeras and set out to conspire against them. The Triumvirate of Xzaarven manipulated the Xzaarven Order of Arcane, convincing most of its members to secretly side with the Burning Legion. Those of the Order who did not agree with the Triumvirate were permanently silenced if they dared to state their opinion out loud, forcing the dissenters to remain silent out of fear for their safety. Within days, nearly all of the Order's members left for Mac'Aree alongside the Triumvirate to be changed into man'ari, leaving many in Amanalar to question the sudden disappearance of the mages; trepidation started to spread throughout the citizens of the region as a result. Soon, the apocalypse found its way to Amanalar, as the skies surrounding it were consumed by abnormal storms of fel lightning, though not before the word of Velen found its way to the region, informing its denizens of his plan to flee Argus from within Mac'Aree. In response to the approaching chaos, Councillor Duum'viaer, who remained the most militant of his fellow Council members, proposed that he would hold off against the coming dangers with his fellow Amanalar Peacekeepers in the centre of Amanare, whilst the remainder of the Council would hide within the council chambers. As a preservative measure against the fall of Amanalar's people, Duum'viaer assigned his older son, Danarshi (who was an Amanalar Peacekeeper himself), to lead an army of refugees to Mac'Aree and join Velen in his exodus; this would also mark him as the sole survivor of the Amanalar Peacekeepers. Shortly after Danarshi left to gather as many civilians as he could, an army of demons flooded into the cities of Amanalar and preyed upon all eredar who had resisted the will of Sargeras. Though the defences, peacekeepers and military force had fended against them for a time, the demons were limitless in number and ultimately overwhelmed them; not even the arcane shields could protect the settlements, as they were sabotaged by the Xzaarven Order of Arcane. Duum'viaer and the Amanalar Peacekeepers fought against hordes of them for minutes on end, refusing to abate in their efforts, though it was futile. Eventually, the Councillor's youngest son, Mordaros, alongside the Triumvirate of Xzaarven, appeared amidst the fighting, revealing themselves as a man'ari. With the power the Legion had bestowed upon them, they dispatched the remaining Amanalar Peacekeepers, with Mordaros leaving his father for last. Within the following minutes, the council chambers were breached and Councillor Elosia, Fae'mahra, Nateema and Remomat were slaughtered by the Triumvirate of Xzaarven. As the cities and settlements of Amanalar fell one by one, the fate of the region was finally sealed, ending the hope of those who still survived. In a matter of hours, thirty-five thousand years of civilization was snuffed out like a flame on a candle, leaving behind only ruins of the acclaimed society that once called the region its home. Ultimately, thirty-eight of its civilians, including Danarshi, his wife and his daughter, were confirmed to have escaped Argus onboard the naaru dimensional ship Genedar, though the vast majority of them would, too, perish over the coming millennia. Aftermath In the midst of the chaos wrought by the Burning Legion, fel wildfires spread over much of Amanalar, razing its cities and burning its bordering forests to the ground. By the time the demons had completed their conquest of the region, the skies above were choked with darkened ash that blocked out the sun itself. In the weeks succeeding its fall, the Legion harvested the countless lost souls of Amanalar's victims as fuel for their foul machinations, leaving almost none behind. Though they could have declared it a stronghold, the Legion saw little more value in Amanalar and instead decided to leave it to its fate. In wake of this, the Triumvirate of Xzaarven and Xzaarven Order of Arcane were officially disbanded and absorbed by the Legion, with Galaviir, Phaerador and Tarvorus claiming prestigious roles within the demonic army. For thousands of years, Amanalar would seemingly lie abandoned. Any wildlife that remained was soon to die out when the chaotic magics of the Legion took their toll upon Argus, warping it into a twisted state and killing most of its flora and fauna. As the grassy plains of Amanalar were reduced to nothing more than a blackened wasteland, its trees perished and crystallized. Over aeons, the very shape of Argus was artificially changed, as its tectonic plates were moved and mountains formed a jagged aesthetic. This affected Amanalar substantially, devolving its iconic mountain ranges into shelves of sharpened stone. When a significant portion of the planet was later blown into orbit, the seismic activity generated by such a cataclysm caused the landscape of Amanalar to shift even further, rising and lowering sections of its terrain, opening various chasms and creating pits of fel magma. At that point, the region had already long since seen its first felstorms, which proved only to poison its air and soil further, rendering it an incredibly infertile and inhospitable place that was virtually impossible to survive in for a long period of time. Miraculously, even long after the liquid fel had dried up in Amanalar, the ruins of its six major settlements still stood, despite all their trials and tribulations - a testament to the craftsmanship of their constructors. Argus Campaign Approximately twenty-five thousand years after the exodus of the draenei from Argus, they returned to their homeworld onboard the Vindicaar in response to the Third Invasion of the Burning Legion on their new home of Azeroth. For weeks, the combined forces of the Army of the Light, Alliance and Horde fought against the demons of the Burning Legion on their main stronghold in a conflict titled the Argus Campaign. Though Amanalar would remain untouched by the campaign itself, Danarshi, who had survived the voyage of his people through the Great Dark Beyond, made his way there to reminisce over his ancient homeland and to summon his brother, Mordaros, with a fully charged bloodstone, in hopes of ending his path of chaos and achieving vengeance for his recent immoral acts against him. Though Danarshi saw much of Amanalar from the skies as he flew into the region on the back of his companion nether drake, Nexabyss, he landed only in the centre of Amanare, where he planned to summon his brother. There, the now-Anchorite recognized the remnants of an ancient battle - most notably the deteriorated sword of an Amanalar Peacekeeper that was impaled into the ground itself. With a portal stone in his possession, he used it to open a portal between Amanare and the Vindicaar, from which several draenei from the Te'Amun emerged after agreeing to help him in his fight against Mordaros. Since the fall of Amanalar, Mordaros had arisen as a powerful demon lord within the Burning Legion. Despite this, Danarshi summoned him with the bloodstone, and combat initiated between the draenei and the lone man'ari. Although he was considerably outnumbered, Mordaros resisted the onslaught of Te'Amun for several minutes until he was able to incapacitate them with Void tendrils. During this, he pointed Danarshi to the sword he had spotted earlier and claimed that it was the weapon of Councillor Duum'viaer, who he, himself, had slain aeons ago. As he then prepared to unleash a massive felbolt on Danarshi, Nexabyss intervened and soaked the spell, saving his master though resulting in the death of the nether drake shortly after. An infuriated Danarshi freed himself from the Void tendrils with the Light and launched himself at Mordaros with golden, glowing eyes and holy wings sprouted from his back, stabbing his sword, Sha'dos, into the heart of the man'ari and driving him to the ground. Following a conclusive exchange between the two, Danarshi channelled immense holy energy into the body of Mordaros through Sha'dos and burned him to a blackened, lifeless husk. For most of the hour succeeding his victory, the Anchorite explored the ruined streets of Amanare in his own company and experienced flashbacks of his past. He ultimately left through his conjured portal only shortly before it closed, once more leaving Amanalar behind and to its lonesomeness - perhaps forevermore. People and culture WIP. Geography Amanalar is a geologic structural basin that was once dominated by open, green, luscious plains of grass, with multiple species of animals having roamed its colourful, rolling plains, either to graze, migrate, mate, give birth to their young, or be hunted by the settlers or predators of the region. Throughout the seasons, Amanalar's landscape differentiated drastically in appearance. During the summers, the grass would turn a thirsty yellow as a result of the dry waves of heat that regularly swept over the land. In autumn, the leaves of trees would fall in droves, and much of the landscape adopted an orange hue. In winter, layers of snow covered the land, and much of the wildlife retreated into hibernation. In spring, the grass would return to a healthy green whilst flowers blossomed, creatures returned from their deep slumber, and the trees regained their leaves. Amanalar was bordered by several kilometres of mountain ranges that stretched around the majority of its perimeter. These mountains brought not only awe to the eyes of Amanalar's settlers and citizens, though offered them security, as well - for it was difficult for foreign threats to pass through them unhindered. Located at the bases of many of the mountains were serene forests that were filled with unique species of flora and fauna. The deeper into these forests that one ventured, however, the more likely that they would encounter a dangerous predator; because of this, few were courageous enough to wander far into them. The region was also found to possess vast stores of groundwater, which served as the main source of water for its inhabitants. Shortly after the Burning Legion came to Argus, Amanalar was laid under siege, spreading wildfires and destruction throughout the region and leaving it in ruins. Shortly following the fall of its populace, it was abandoned by the demons and left to its fate. As time passed and Argus was twisted by chaotic magics, Amanalar was reduced to a volcanic wasteland of charred rock, crystallized vegetation and sharp, jagged mountains. When a significant portion of the planet was blown into orbit, the seismic activity generated by such a cataclysm caused the landscape of Amanalar to shift even further, rising and lowering sections of the terrain, opening various chasms and creating pits of fel magma. Today, after thousands of years of continued neglect, most of the liquid fel in Amanalar has since dried up, however, the region remains a significant threat to any who might find themselves within it. Felstorms regularly sweep over the area, further poisoning its air and soil and rendering it an incredibly infertile and inhospitable place that is virtually impossible to survive in for a long period of time. Aside from the ancient city ruins that still litter the landscape, Amanalar is now almost unrecognisable to what it was prior to the arrival of the Burning Legion.Category:Places Category:Argus Locations Category:Amanalar Locations